Major: Agricultural Education
Year in School: Junior
Hometown: Shullsburg, WI
The inviting feel of the Platteville community made transitioning from my hometown to UWP very easy. There are always community events going on, movies to see, parks to enjoy and restaurants to have dinner with friends at. Whenever you need to just get away from everything, all you have to do is look at the beautiful scenery of southwestern Wisconsin. Platteville has a rich and interesting history behind it as a mining town. The university reflects this unique history and I am thankful to be a part of it.
As an Agriculture Ambassador, Student Ambassador and university tour guide, I always find myself representing UWP. Being a Student Ambassador gives me the opportunity to speak with prospective students about the benefits of attending Platteville and assist with other university events. As an Agriculture Ambassador, I visit high schools in the tri-state area and educate students about UWP — specifically the agriculture program and the 18 different organizations the program offers. By having a job as a campus tour guide, I get to take students around the university that I call home. Being an ambassador for UWP has been a rewarding experience and I always look forward to promoting my university.
My freshman year at UWP was spent traveling around Wisconsin as a 2007 Wisconsin state FFA officer. While serving the FFA, I was able to take night classes at UWP to remain a full-time student while fulfilling my duties as an officer. My major duty as a state FFA officer was to inform the public about agriculture while promoting FFA. One way I educated the public was by making high school visits to Agricultural Education classes. It was this experience that made me want to become an agricultural education major. Since choosing agricultural education as my major, I have met many wonderful professors in the department. There are two agricultural education professors who have gone out of their way to guide me along during my time at UWP. Mark Zidon and Rick Bockhop are so funny, outgoing and supportive. They gave me both their home and cell phone numbers in case I ever need anything outside of class. It’s the little things like this that sets UWP apart from larger universities and makes me proud to be a Pioneer.
